Weapons & Guns

Cops pulled a drive-by on some black kids in Los Angeles. Seriously, and it's all on video.

To be fair to cops, the video doesn't show how this interaction started, but the conclusion is suspicious. The group of about 5 to 6 apparent teens -- many with backpacks and skateboards -- were walking on a sidewalk, and not in the middle of a protest.

Suddenly, an L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. cruiser pulled up on the street corner and unleashed a hail of rubber bullets on the group of kids ... who were already running away from the cops.

Again, we don't yet know what sparked this confrontation, but here's what's clear from the video -- at the moment the shooting started, the kids were calmly walking together down the street. The video caught the attention of Lil Nas X who tweeted, "This is why we need to push as hard as ever this time."

To Lil Nas' point ... this appears to be exactly the kind of police behavior against which millions are protesting right now.

We've reached out to the Sheriff's Dept for more information.

The riots and lootings triggered by George Floyd's brutal killing have many citizens in L.A. panicking and rushing to stock up on protection for themselves and their businesses.

Gun and ammo stores had lines wrapped around the block at several locations in the area ... and we're told many shops are even getting close to selling out of product.

David Schwartz, owner of Burbank Ammo & Guns, tells TMZ ... foot traffic at his shop was nonstop over the weekend and Monday. He says the majority of customers own homes or private businesses and were looking for something to use to protect their property and products.

Schwartz says glocks and 12-gauge home-defense shotguns were the hot sellers, and he's hoping to get more soon from distributors so he can continue to provide for customers.

Schwartz also hired his own security -- armed guards to stand outside the store -- to make sure everyone stays safe ... and to ward off potential looters.

Interestingly, Burbank Ammo wasn't the only business to hire outside muscle for extra security ... far from it. A rep from a large security company in Southern Cal tells us ... it supplied armed guards to various companies and homes throughout L.A. for protection.

The rep says ... "I would tell you all security organizations in the region are seeing an influx of requests for emergency or additional security resources."

Martin Luther King III says the rioters burning buildings over George Floyd's death have real reason to be upset with cops -- but he's still stopping short of condoning the violence.

MLK3 tells TMZ ... folks across the country, and particularly in Minneapolis, have a right to be frustrated and tired of police killing black people, and he's ripping President Trump for fanning the flames with that tweet seemingly calling for protesters to be shot.

King III says he understands why rioters resorted to setting fire to a Minneapolis police station and several other buildings the night before ex-cop Derek Chauvin was arrested and charged with Floyd's murder. Still, you can hear his father when he says the years of pent up frustration don't justify violence.

At the same time, King notes torched buildings can be rebuilt ... but George can't be given new life.

While King III says he simply can't condone violent acts of rebellion, he says it's hard for people to think about peace in today's environment ... and tells us why it's difficult to get people on board with non-violent protests these days.

MLK3 also drops some timeless knowledge from Martin Luther King Jr. ... and explains how Americans can prevail in the fight against evil.

Powerful statement from Jalen Rose.

The ex-NBA star -- now a regular on ESPN -- went off on "Get Up!" on Friday about the civil unrest following the killing of George Floyd.

Just watch. Here's the transcript.

"I wish America loved black people just as much as they love black culture."

"There's so many times that it gets cherry-picked and it gets piggybacked but only when it's convenient and sometimes it happens in entertainment and athletics."

We're not here designed only to entertain."

"We're actually living and breathing human beings that have a multitude of intelligence, work ethic, discipline and talent. We've overcome a lot just like so many other races."

"This didn't just start happening. You can Google. We've been sprayed with water hoses, we've been attacked by dogs. We've overcome it. I'm old enough to remember 'I Have a Dream,' 'Fight the Power,' 'Screw the Police.' Now it's 'I Can't Breathe.'"

"This is not new and it's not going to come from just us. We need people who aren't black. We need people who aren't brown. When you know these things are happening in your society to have a voice, a legitimate one. Lock and step with us. Protest with us. Post with us. Not just when it's convenient. When it can be uncomfortable."

"The image of Colin Kaepernick taking a knee before a football game during the national anthem is the exact same one that we see in Minnesota ... when a guy was laying on the ground for over 8 minutes handcuffed with a knee to his neck and was murdered."

Amid the chaos, confusion and division being stoked by the current occupant in the White House, Barack Obama's voice of calm and reason is chiming in ... calling George Floyd's death tragic and painful.

The 44th President of the United States says what happened to Floyd "shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020 America" ... while also invoking the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and what recently went down at Central Park. Obama also shared parts of conversations he says he's had with friends over the last couple of days following Floyd's death.

Check it out ... he shared a friend's email from a middle-aged African-American businessman who wrote to him, "I cried when I saw the video." Obama also said a friend used the powerful song that went viral after 12-year-old Keedron Bryant posted his video on Instagram earlier this week.

Keedron, BTW, captioned it simply saying, "Just singing what's on my heart...hope this blesses someone." Some of the lyrics include, "I'm a young black man, doing all that I can to stand. Oh, but when I look around and I see what's being done to my kind every day, I'm being hunted as prey."

Obama said it's normal for everyone wishing for everything to "just get back to normal" as a pandemic and economic crisis ravages this country. He added, "But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly 'normal' — whether it’s while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park."

The former Prez went on to say what went down in Minneapolis is something officials there will have to handle to ensure justice is done, "but it falls on all of us regardless of our race or nation ... to work together to create a 'new normal' in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts."

Obama's statement is a stark difference to what President Trump tweeted earlier Friday ... calling for looters to be shot.

Attorneys representing the families of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery will be holding a virtual press conference ... and TMZ's streaming it live.

Civil rights attorneys, Ben Crump and Lee Merritt, will be speaking Friday morning -- along with the news commentator and criminal justice reform advocate, Van Jones -- as part of a Team Roc Facebook presser called "Next Steps in Pursuit of Justice."

Crump is currently representing Floyd's family, and following the developments Thursday -- in which federal and state prosecutors announced they are not yet charging the 4 officers involved in Floyd's arrest and death -- he told us the family is outraged and crestfallen.

Crump, speaking on behalf of the family and millions of others who saw the video of Floyd being suffocated by cop Derek Chauvin's knee to his neck, doesn't understand how the video doesn't provide enough evidence for charges in George's killing.

Merritt is the lawyer for Arbery's family. As you know, 3 men have now been charged for murder in that case -- father/son Gregory and Travis McMichael, who ambushed Ahmaud as he was driving, and William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who recorded video of the incident.

The virtual press conference begins at 8 AM PT and is being put on by Team Roc.

Donald Trump has his own way of handling the civil unrest in Minneapolis, following the brutal cop killing of George Floyd -- he wants the looters shot.

True-to-form Trump tweeted his outrage, "....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"

That last threat -- "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" -- is lifted from a threat made by a former Miami police chief back in 1967 ... after brutal police practices resulted in civil unrest.

Now, check this out ... Twitter immediately tagged Trump's post, saying, "This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible." Translation -- Trump's appalling, yet predictable, call to violence is irresponsible, but we need to know that's his mindset.

And, he all took an insulting, gratuitous shot at Minneapolis' Mayor, "I can’t stand back & watch this happen to a great American City, Minneapolis. A total lack of leadership. Either the very weak Radical Left Mayor, Jacob Frey, get his act together and bring the City under control, or I will send in the National Guard & get the job done right....."

Mayor Frey shot back, "Weakness is refusing to take responsibility for your own actions. Weakness is pointing your finger at somebody else during a time of crisis."

The George Floyd demonstrations are at a flashpoint -- some of the people protesting his death, at the hands of a police officer, have set fire to a Minneapolis police station

A massive fire broke out Thursday night at Minneapolis PD's 3rd Precinct ... about 3 miles away from where Floyd was killed. Rioters were seen cheering and setting off fireworks as the building was engulfed in flames.

The police station fire is just one of many that have broken out across the city during the third straight night of protests, looting and riots.

Reports say protestors forcibly entered the building and lit several fires inside. The Minnesota National Guard has been activated and 500 soldiers are on their way to the city. The police department appears to have evacuated the building, and the fire department has not responded.

Again, there are hundreds -- if not thousands -- of people clogging the surrounding streets.

Many people across the city expressed their anger after a news conference held by federal and Hennepin County prosecutors, where they did not announce any charges against the police officers involved in Floyd's death.

On Wednesday, several stores, including a Target and grocery story were hit by rioters and looters.

Colin Kaepernick's not here for peaceful protesting in the wake of George Floyd being killed by a cop, because he says civility led to his death ... so it's time to revolt.

The former NFL star is addressing critics of the unrest this week in Minneapolis ... and he says they just don't get it, because all the rational discussions have not stopped the horrendous killings of black men, so it's time to ramp up the protests and not worry about keeping the peace.

Kaepernick says in a tweet ... "When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction."

He adds ... "The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance."

The "your" here is obviously the police, and Colin suggests it's due time to respond to the violence with violence, saying ... "We have the right to fight back!"

As you know, Kaepernick's been outspoken about police brutality for years, and began silently protesting by taking a knee during The National Anthem while playing for the 49ers in 2016.

The move made him a lightning rod in the discussion of police brutality and the treatment of black people in America, and many believe it resulted in him being blackballed from the NFL.

Of course, the disturbing parallel of a cop kneeling on George Floyd's carotid artery with Kaepernick peacefully kneeling to protest such violence has not been lost on people.

A 21-year-old black man justifiably panicked when several cops pulled guns on him and repeatedly screamed, "Show me your hands" ... even though he was clearly already showing them.

The incident played out in Midland, Texas on May 16 but video of the arrest started circulating late last week. It's going viral now due to George Floyd's deadly arrest in Minneapolis, because it underscores the tense dynamic between African-Americans and police ... even during something as minor as running a stop sign.

The young man's name is Tye Anders and the video shows him get out of his car after pulling into his driveway. He immediately puts his hands up and begins repeatedly asking cops why they stopped him. Cops told him he ran a stop sign. Police were barking orders for him to put his hands up ... even though you can see his hands were up. Tye even dropped to his knees and laid on his stomach with his hands out.

Later in the video, you can hear Anders crying and telling cops he's scared before his 90-year-old grandmother walks out trying to defuse the situation. But, even then cops don't approach Anders ... as one officer can be heard asking if there's anyone else in the vehicle.

After Anders lies on the ground, you can hear cops telling him to stand up. Cops ultimately move in to make the arrest. There are erroneous reports the grandmother was tackled by cops, but you can see in the body cam footage she trips over Tye and is helped back up by cops.

Tye was ultimately arrested for evading arrest ... but the manner in which it went down has sparked controversy in Midland, where officials will hold a town hall meeting later Thursday to address it.

The video, of course, amplifies the panic black citizens feel even during routine traffic stops. As we've reported ... new surveillance video showed Floyd shows no signs of resisting during his arrest before he was killed by a cop pressing his knee on Floyd's neck.

It's really frightening ... a 2nd Amendment Kentucky rally the day before Memorial Day turned into an insane display of Governor Andy Beshear being hung in effigy.

It makes no sense, other than some gun-toting fanatics wanting to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Around 100 people swarmed the Governor's mansion to celebrate constitutional rights, as they packed heat.

It was billed as a Second Amendment rally ... "what it really means to be FREE."

Pastor Cliff Christman then launched on the Governor's coronavirus restrictions, grousing, "This has been one of the biggest shams in world history ... Grown men have been hiding in homes nearly wetting their pants over this invisible enemy that nobody sees. Where is it at?  Let it come out and face us."

Cliff Alexander was such a star H.S. basketball recruit ... one cop remembered him during the former NBA player's gun arrest this month -- and the interaction was all caught on police video obtained by TMZ Sports.

Alexander was pulled over at around 9:30 PM CT on May 6 in Chicago, Ill. after cops say he blew through a stop sign ... and shortly after, one officer realized who exactly he had detained.

"Oh, you're that hooper!" the cop said, before asking him about his high school recruiting ranking.

FYI -- Alexander was largely considered the top prospect in the country back in the 2014 recruiting class ... right alongside future Duke Blue Devil Jahlil Okafor.

In the video, you can hear the officer actually asks Alexander about the battle for the No. 1 spot with Okafor ... and the interaction is kind of funny.

"I remember that sh*t!" the cop said. "That's crazy! ... You went to Kansas, right!?"

Of course, the stop didn't go so well for Alexander outside of that convo ... cops say the 24-year-old illegally had a loaded firearm under his seat, which one officer said appeared to be a "Glock 21."

Alexander also admitted to cops during the stop he had "like 6 grams" of weed on him ... and you can see in video, he explained to an officer he stuffed it in his pants because "I'm paranoid."

Eventually, Alexander was arrested and booked on a felony charge of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was also hit with a citation for failing to stop at a stop sign -- but he was NOT booked on drug charges.

William "Roddie" Bryan, the man who recorded the video of Ahmaud Arbery's killing, is now the third suspect to be arrested for the young man's murder.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation just announced the arrest, saying Bryan's been hit with charges of felony murder and criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment.

The GBI says the charges stem from the February 23 incident that resulted in Arbery's death. Bryan will be booked into the Glynn County Jail.

As we reported ... Roddie claimed he was simply a witness to the slaying and had zero involvement with what went down between Arbery and the 2 men previously arrested for his murder -- Gregory and Travis McMichael.

Bryan said after his video leaked online that he was fearful for his life and was receiving death threats. The GBI said Bryan and his video were under investigation, and he was initially named in the police report for allegedly trying to block Ahmaud during the chase while he was jogging. Bryan denied any involvement, though.

As we told you ... Arbery's family and legal team strongly believed Bryan was involved in the incident, along with the McMichaels, and wants him to face justice.

Sheck Wes is facing 2 felony charges after getting busted in NYC ... where cops say he was toting a gun and drugs around town in his fancy whip.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Sheck was driving a 2019 Lamborghini SUV with 3 friends when he was pulled over early Wednesday morning in Harlem for excessive window tint.

Our sources say the car reeked of marijuana which prompted a search -- and officers found a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol in a bag, and a small amount of weed.

We're told prosecutors charged Sheck and another passenger with 2 felonies -- criminal possession of a loaded firearm and criminal possession of a weapon ... and Sheck and his co-defendant were arraigned and released without bail. They did not charge him for the pot.

Our sources say the "Mo Bamba" rapper was also cited for not having a driver's license.

Luke Hill -- one of the top recruits in Oregon's 2020 football class -- was arrested this week ... after he allegedly attempted to murder his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.

FYI, 18-year-old Hill is of the one best high school cornerbacks in the country. He signed his National Letter of Intent with Oregon months ago ... but the school says they parted ways in the spring. They have not explained why they parted ways, but they're probably glad they did now, based on the allegations.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say they responded to a call of a shooting in Prince George's County, Md. -- near where Hill played his high school ball -- at around 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

While on the scene ... cops say the victim told them he was playing basketball when a white car with window tint pulled up and fired on him.

Fortunately, cops say the victim told them nobody was injured by the gunshots ... and went on to say his girlfriend had received menacing messages from Hill -- whom she had had a prior relationship with -- just an hour or so before the incident.

According to the docs, the victim explained Hill had messaged his GF about their relationship and had stated he was "trying to find out where the victim lives."

Cops say when they went to Hill's home after they wrapped up investigating at the victim's ... they saw Hill pull up in a white vehicle that matched the victim's description -- and after they detained him, they obtained a warrant to search the house.

That's when officers say they recovered three firearms from Hill's residence ... including a Glock 22 handgun that was located in a hidden compartment in Hill's bedroom, behind Univ. of Oregon football recruiting letters.

Officers say the caliber of fired shell casings they recovered at the victim's residence matched the gun in Hill's room ... and they arrested the football player shortly after.

In Hill's mug shot, obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see the guy wasn't exactly a happy camper.

Prosecutors have since hit the 5'11", 175-pound defensive back with EIGHT charges ... including felony first-degree attempted murder and felony assault.

The Univ. of Oregon has told multiple media outlets Wednesday it had parted ways with the football player earlier this spring prior to the arrest... despite receiving his National Letter of Intent earlier in the recruiting cycle.